Lexus

Lexus is the luxury division of Toyota. Launched in the U.S. in the late 1980s, the Lexus LS 400 flagship was a rear-wheel-drive, V8 powered luxury sedan that was widely praised. The car immediately won awards from automotive publications for being well-built, reliable and attractively priced.

Lexus immediately stole market share from Mercedes and BMW and continued to develop competitive models the ES, GS, IS250 and RX SUV. For every Mercedes model, there was a Lexus alternative and the brand continued to develop loyalty for robust build quality and quiet comfort. With the RX350 SUV, Lexus turbocharged sales and was widely copied.

Lexus is also known to implement hybrid technology from parent Toyota across its vehicle lineup. More recently, the Company has attempted to stimulate excitement from younger audiences with the LFA supercar and performance-oriented F versions of its IS model (the IS-F).